大姨媽

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See also: 大姨妈

Chinese

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big, eldest auntie
trad. (大姨媽) 姨媽
simp. (大姨妈) 姨妈

Etymology

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The euphemistic sense was originally a Cantonese colloquialism.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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大姨媽

  1. (chiefly southern dialects) eldest maternal aunt (mother's eldest sister older than one's mother)
  2. (euphemistic, slang, humorous) Aunt Flo (a personification of the menstrual period or menstruation)
    大姨媽大姨妈  ―  lái dàyímā  ―  to be on one's period

Usage notes

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If one's mother is the eldest of the sisters, her oldest sister is not reckoned as a 大姨媽 but as 二姨.

Synonyms

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  • (eldest maternal aunt): 大姨 (dàyí)

Derived terms

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